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Business Travel Still On Track
Low-cost carriers have, no doubt, spread their wings far and wide. But when it comes to short distance travel, it is the Indian Railways that still holds sway for the business traveller, especially after the Railway Budget 2006-07. Reema Sisodia finds out why
Picture this. Mr X living in Mumbai has a morning appointment in Pune. He takes a cab to the airport to take his morning flight, which takes 45 minutes from his house in South Mumbai. He reaches 45 minutes before his scheduled departure and on concluding the 35-minute flight, he goes through the mandatory 'check-out' drill at the Pune airport, located on the outskirts. He finally takes a cab to reach his meeting venue in the city.
On the other hand, Mr Y decides to hop into the early morning train that would take him to Pune into the heart of the city in time for his morning appointment. All he did was reach the platform 10 minutes before departure, caught up on work on his laptop, enjoyed the scenic beauty of the Western Ghats and reached his destination hassle-free, clocking approximately the same time that it would take for his counterpart who opted to fly down.
Like Mr Y here, there are many across the country who swear by the railways as the preferred mode of transport especially on short distance routes, and routes that offer the facility and convenience of travelling overnight city to city. One of them is Manojeet Chowdhury, sales director, Hexaware Technologies who says, "My job at one point required me to travel between Mumbai and Pune on a regular basis. I was a routine traveller on the Mumbai-Pune Shatabdi Express and found it to be extremely comfortable when compared to the option of travelling by air. Though I had the choice to fly, it was the trains for me all through. Hassle-free is how I would like to describe the journey. The bonus is that one can catch up on work en route, with your laptop by your side, which is difficult if one decides to fly, as it entails a number of breaks in the journey. Also, the chances of delayed schedules are much greater in flights as compared to the trains. Without doubt I would vote for the train rather than air, especially on short distance routes."
Seconding his view is Ferris Caustill, regional sales executive, Pune-based Shaw Wallace. "I travel to Mumbai on the weekend and this is possible only because of the convenience that the trains offer. The Indrayani Express takes me to work on time on a Monday morning," he says.
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